The big picturean overview of the Seafriends web site.www.seafriends.org.nz/overview.htm

This page helps you navigate the Seafriends
web site from what you want to know, particularly when you are in a hurry.
It also tells you of our plans (in green).
Just follow the questions and click on your answers. The bold links lead
you to the chapters of interest while the other links navigate within this
page. Use your go back button to return to this page.

There are two substances on which humans depend
most: water and soil (and warmth). Both are in trouble from loss
and degradation. Water may no longer be sufficiently available to irrigate
agricultural lands and to feed our industries. Our soils are farmed with
ever greater
productivity,
which has its limits. It is important therefore to understand how
soil works and how we are losing it through loss of fertility
and erosion. The soil chapter
is very large because it is such an important subject while also the world's
worst problem.
This chapter also gives a quick primer on geology,
how rocks form and how these form soil.
How the availability of water determines whether soil can be farmed sustainably
depends on its potential
evapotranspiration.
Since 1998 the world has been cooling while sunspot
activity arrives at an historic low. The world may face a prolonged
period of deep cooling, bringing unforeseen disasters. Suddenly we discover
that warmth is a precious resource, as is CO2.

Oceanography will later be extended with estuaries,
the El Niño weather patterns
and the ozone hole.

If you want to know how the organisms on the planet work together, a
chapter on marine biology, ecology
and evolution will appear in the future.
Already the chapter on biodiversity
and principles of the intertidal
rocky shore may give you a glimpse of what to expect.

The world's problemsThe world's problems are not quite visible because they arrive slowly
and because they always happen somewhere else and because we seem to be
very inventive at 'solving' them with new technology. Therefore first read
the alarming summary of the world's problems
which lists them by how they affect people, land, sea, water and atmosphere
(very scary).
This web site treats problems and their solutions as 'environmental
issues' in its very large section which is still far from complete.
Enrich your understanding of conservation
by reading about conservation principles,
resource
management and biodiversity.
Because this web site is about the sea, land conservation is not dealt
with extensively but marine conservation
is our main topic. Here you will read about how confused the situation
is and how much misinformation
has entered the debate. Follow the war
over marine reserves which paints the present situation in New
Zealand and all the things that have gone wrong with marine conservation.
Appreciate our incisiveness and our courage to say the truth.

This very large section will in due time be expanded with chapters on
fishing
and whaling,
poisonous
plankton blooms, chemical pollution,
introduced
marine species,
ballast water
and more.

One of the world's largest resources, energy,
is also becoming one of the world's largest problems. A separate chapter
will analyse what energy is, the present situation, alternatives and how
fossil fuels affect the atmosphere and life on Earth.

The problems with peopleThe world would not experience problems
if there were no people on Earth. Problems are caused by people. And when
the population is increasing, one can expect such problems to increase
equally rapidly. However, because there is so little left of the natural
world we depend on, new problems may announce themselves very rapidly.
Read about the history of the human race
which was influenced mainly by the way people used their brains to accumulate
knowledge and to apply this knowledge to advantage (technology). It is
this technology that gave us such large advantages over other organisms
that we are now able to destroy the world. Read about
science,
technology and the human nature to understand how this works and
whether technology can save us. However, our minds have not evolved equaloly
rapidly, and we are stuck in persistent belief
systems that hinder us from finding the right solutions. To make
matters worse, science has descended
into a dark age of group think (consensus), deceit, corruption
and fraud (see Scientific Swindles
below).

The human dimension will be extended with chapters on the population
explosion, how the mind works
and how it fools us, how to teach yourself to
think better, to solve problems,
and to bring about change while minimising
risks.

This section will benefit from the planned chapters on plankton
and
its harmful algal blooms, and that
on fishing and how to control it. There
is a better way to save our seas.

The war for marine reservesThe world's oceans have proved not to be an unlimited resource for
seafood as the world's fisheries have levelled off and many fisheries are
overfished. The fishermen are blamed for the mistakes of fisheries managers
as even well managed fisheries collapse. Now scientists take refuge in
the hope that networks of no-take marine reserves will save the sea. However,
their thinking is basically flawed as marine reserves are also degrading
from bad to worse.
Upgrade your knowledge and read about the false logic spread by protagonists
in Frequently Asked Questions.
Follow the many myths and fallacies
in our thinking and see for yourself how mismanaged
New Zealand's marine reserves are. But the war goes on as documented by
the many marine reserve proposals
which are designed to mislead the public. Begin with the index
and introduction into this politically hot potato.

This website we have doggedly pursued the many issues that are the real
causes of the problems in the sea, as the main threat now comes from the
land. Read the large chapters on degradation
to become informed. Only by saving the land, can we save the sea!

Under the pretense of an integrated strategy with consultation of all
stakeholders at all stages, DoC' s new Marine
Protection Policy and Implementation Plan by-passes the Marine
Reserves Amendment Bill and the Oceans Policy, becoming the summit of madness
in the war for marine reserves.

This section will keep pace with new inventions
of folly until a truly integrated policy is formed that recognises the
new threats to the seas while abandoning the present policies of confrontation,
deceit and secrecy.

If you want to take an active role, study the latest discoveries with
the Dark Decay Assay method and begin
to monitor the health of the aquatic ecosystems in your area. This chapter
is now in its very beginnings and will be expanded as more results come
in.

New Zealand's seasNew Zealand is located in a temperate sea, bounded in the north by
the subtropics and in the south by the subantarctics. Both warm and cold
currents flow around NZ. Read about New
Zealand's oceanography. For more detail about the marine ecology,
read the introduction marine habitats
and what it would be like to live in the sea.
For more detail and photographs of marine creatures, visit the section
on marine reserves with details
of each typical marine reserve in its typical region, but much work needs
to be done on this. Already you can visit the Kermadec
Islands, Goat Island,
Poor
Knights and we are working on the Rainbow
Warrior. Cool-tropical Niue Island
is a de-facto part of New Zealand, with 20,000 Niueans living in NZ, and
only 1000 in Niue.
Since the advent of the Seafriends web site on CD, various slide shows
containing large 800x600 pixel pictures, have been produced. The large
images are available on CD only, due to their long download times. But
the slideshows can be examined as narrated thumbnails. Go to the autorun
page to find them quickly.
Many pictures of NZ underwater have also appeared in the stock
photo section. The important section on marine
degradation also has many photos showing the plight of our coastal
seas.

This section will be extended by detailing the habitat
classification with more sample habitats.
Already the rockpool habitat
has been touched on and the rocky
shore has been dealt with extensively, including 400 identifying
photographs.

Particular things in the sea,
marine creaturesMany sections will be devoted to the things in the sea, such as understanding
what
it is like to live in the sea (habitats), ecosystems, habitats
and species. The species relevant to New Zealand have been linked into
their scientific classifications,
ranging from sea mammals and birds to molluscs. This part of the web site
is still largely undeveloped but some fishes
and crabs have already found
their place. An extensive section about the intertidal
rocky shore has over 400 identifying photographs.

This section will be completed at a later date,
with a priority for fishes, crustaceans and echinoderms.

NiueNiue is a small island of about 20 by 15 km lying north-east of NZ
east of the Kermadec Trench. After visiting the Kermadec
Islands, our interest grew in studying Niue to better understand
the situation in New Zealand. But Niue and NZ are almost opposites in many
ways, and are therefore a rich source of comparison, regarding their geography,
ecology, society and economy. Visit Niue
and slide shows of what it looks like
above and under water. Ask yourself why Cyclone
Heta caused so much damage there.

Underwater photographyPhotography is one of the most gratifying pastimes. It can document
one's life and interests and one can get better at it as one grows older,
even to a ripe old age. Underwater photography
is quite difficult, plagued by its own specific problems. But the newness
of this environment and its many rich colours and shapes, make it quite
rewarding. Study the typical photographic problems encountered under water
and how to overcome these. Read about the use
of film and lens, light under water,
and how to use mixed light.
This section goes into fine detail on how to take macro
photos, how to enhance one's opportunities,
and what is found in a good underwater
camera. A separate chapter adds what an underwater
moviemaker must think about.
The
digital darkroom section
teaches you everything about digital photography and how to enhance your
images with this new technology.

Enjoy the many galleries of
beautiful underwater photos, a section which is gathering momentum. From
this index the many galleries of photos will be found. We hoped to have
many slide shows about interesting
topics and beautiful photographs but have not developed this concept further.
Most of the photographs on this web site have been taken by us and
they can be ordered for commercial use as also a print of any photo can
also be ordered. Our posters
have been pre-printed. Read the introduction
to the photolibrary for the latest informaiton and pricing. Just send us
an e-mail and mention the photograph's file
number (e.g. f123456). Payment is done through PayPal.

This section will hopefully one day be extended by 'light
is all you see' or understanding what makes a photo (on land).
Also a chapter on tips and tricks is
in preparation.

Reference informationThe Seafriends' web site contains a wealth of supporting information
for each of its chapters and sections. Such reference information may assist
you in better understanding and in furthering your studies.
The Seafriends public library is one not to be missed because it contains
a unique collection of books relevant to the world's problems, our oceans
and New Zealand. Visit the complete catalogue
on the net and borrow your book by e-mail. The library contains scientific
works, popular interest and historic books.
Although we attempt to explain strange words as: the marine
dictionary contains all strange words used in marine biology and
ecology. The geology dictionary
contains important geological terms and concepts.

History comes at various levels. Read how the universe developed, the
planets and life on Earth in the geologic
time table. The history of our civilisation depended mainly on
knowledge and technology as tabled in the history
of mankind.
Be amazed about how easily people surrender to myths and strange beliefs
in the belief systems of the world.

An amazing reference work, which is growing steadily is the table of
units
and measures which helps you to convert from one physical unit
to another and to make your own calculations and informed estimates with
the many natural constants and rule-of-thumb factors. This already formidable
tool for understanding what scientists say, grows steadily.

How to do business with SeafriendsSeafriends is a non-profit organisation which depends on income from
the Field Centre in Leigh. Schools come
for a day with Seafriends, which usually entails snorkelling, rocky shore
study, lectures and a visit to the aquariums. Day visitors to the marine
reserve can hire snorkel gear before going to the beach and they can stay
for a drink and a snack from the Seafriends Cafe. Your custom is highly
appreciated, since it also helps us with the school programmes and the
realisation of this fantastic web site. Read more about the history,
location,
diving
, restaurant and more.

This section is awaiting the completion of the basic education provided
in the main sections, which is taking up all of our time. The planned worksheets
have not yet eventuated.

The whole web site is now available on CD, including medium resolution
versions of many photographs and diagrams. The CD can be downloaded on
the school computer for fast and instant access.

In-depth articlesThe In-Depth section aims to
document and collect news-worthy events. It can also be seen as a 'rats
and mice' basket, allowing us to write about issues for which the relevant
chapters and sections have not been created. Topics popular at schools
qualify. Please let us know of such topics.

Challenging theoriesAre you a scientifically-minded person with an interest in new ideas
while you don't mind being challenged? Perhaps you'd like to investigate
a number of theories (hypotheses) and discoveries formulated on this web
site.

We have observed inexplicable distributions of marine populations and
equally inexplicable mass mortalities of nearly all species. Our new principles
of degradation and the plankton
balance hypothesis explain that one important limiting factor,
found only in the sea, has been overlooked. Plankton does not only feed
but it also kills by its active decomposers. It explains many apparent
paradoxes and makes frightening predictions.

In January 2005 we invented a new scientific
method, the Dark Decay Assay, to measure the strength
of the planktonic decomposers and thus the health of any plankton ecosystem.
This epoch-making discovery opens a world of interest, gives strong support
for the Plankton Balance hypothesis while resolving many
paradoxes. Because of its universality, accuracy, simplicity and low cost,
it is of immediate practical use to many who work with aquatic ecosystems,
such as aquariums, ponds, aquaculture and marine research. Why not use
it yourself to keep a watchful eye on the waters in your neighbourhood?
School children can do it too. The DDA could become a formidable weapon
in the fight against eutrophication! Read DDA
for dummies first.
The Dark Decay Assay challenges
the way we think about aquatic ecosystems. It discovered that planktonic
decomposers are a large part, often exceeding the biomass of producers
(phytoplankton) but they are not capable of completing decomposition unless
an additional high-energy food is supplied. It also discovered that the
main limiting factor in aquatic ecosystems is the availability of hydrogen
ions, which makes acidic lakes far more productive than basic (less
acidic) lakes. In the sea the conditions for plant growth are not favourable,
reason why the insufficiently decomposed biomatter in the sea (slush)
may well help plants become more productive with bacteria living in symbiosis
on their slimy skins (the symbiotic decomposer hypothesis
or slush hypothesis). As the seaweed or phytoplankter feeds
the decomposers, they provide it with hydrogen ions, carbondioxide and
nutrients. Symbiotic decomposition also explains why corals
can grow productively in clear waters with little phytoplankton or nutrients.
It must also play an indispensable role in soil, such that a large part
of a plant's intake of CO2 may come direct from the soil.

Work in this area is continuing as also aquarium studies are in place
to document the process of progradation (improving water
quality). The Seafriends aquariums (2,
3)have
now become the world's only closed ecosystem, the salt water of
which never returns to the sea. Wastes from feeding fishes is converted
by bacteria to nutrients that are converted to plankton by natural sunlight.
The plankton in turn feeds filter feeders such as mussels, oysters, seasquirts
and sponges. Seaweeds assis in symbiotic decomposition. But
time will tell . . .

When nutrients, sewage and mud enter the sea, they feed plankton blooms
that have disastrous effects on the environment (eutrophication), whereas
the opposite is supposed to happen (a richer food chain). The large chapter
on marine degradation explains
the principles behind this new and fast accelerating threat. But read what's
happening to our seas first. Many images
of degradation show what it looks like and what to look for. It
builds further on and confirms the plankton
balance hypothesis, also an important discovery. We may have entered
a new era of rapid degradation of our lands and seas due to a possible
vicious
cycle created by di-methyl sulphide (DMS) produced by the rapidly
increasing biomass of decomposers world-wide. The recent and almost total
collapse
of New Zealand's shellfish fishery has been predicted by us a long
time ago (1987), then measured (2005) and now the data proves we were right
and that much more bad news is coming. See also the timeline
of degradation instances in NZ.

The world is in the grip of the fear of man-made global warming
for which there is insufficient evidence, while evidence to the contrary
is solid and becoming overwhelming. Read our large chapter which explains
how the world's climate system works. The scare of oceans becoming
more acidic, with disastrous consequences is also unfounded, as we explained
with care while also debunking fraudulent science. In the ocean acidification
chapter we also coin our new carbon
pipe hypotheis which places the carbon cycle in perspective.

In the chapter on biodiversity
we identify how problems accelerate now that we are entering the era of
scarcity and we identify the seriousness of the situation with the mathematics
of scarcity which makes sobering predictions.

Our expeditions to the Kermadec Islands and Niue island discovered symptoms
of stress, caused by the difficulty of living in a small place, surrounded
by a large empty ocean. We formulated the main factors in the ecologies
of Niue and the Kermadec
Islands.

You will enjoy minor discoveries such as where the giant
heart urchinBrissus gigas lives, not previously known,
and the mystery of Barren Arch
at the Poor Knights, where large boulders can move at motorway speeds like
pebbles on a beach.

What will be next in this category? We really
don't know because we never anticipated encountering such gaps in science.

Scientific swindlesWe've used the word 'swindle' here because it is very well understood.
But when scientists err or do shoddy work, it is seldom done deliberately,
so the word swindle may be an exaggeration. There have been some serious
misadventures, where scientific advice was later proved wrong, as also
the scientific literature is replete with facts and theories that have
been disproved later. Examples range from economics to nuclear energy.
As you may guess, it usually concerns the science that cannot be done inside
the laboratory under controlled conditions, like planetary science, world
ecology and marine ecology. To better understand science and its shorfalls,
read Science, Technology and Human
nature, and Why scientists
need skeptics. Also Scientists'
Consensus Statements are insightful because consensus is not science

Closer to home are the mistakes in marine science, rebutted in Science
Exposed and Myths(7).
Green activism and propaganda never stand alone, as there are always scientists
behind them, who provide the arguments. Read the growing section about
myths
and fallacies about marine reserves and marine conservation and
brush up quickly on a concise treatment of marine
reserves, and then in more detail the Frequently
Asked Questions about marine conservation. Even though our observations
and predictions were twenty years ahead of their time, new scientific evidence
consistenlty proves us right. The latest shambols is the total collapse
of New Zealand's shellfish fishery, a follow-on from the early
(1980) collapse of the toheroa surf clam.

For the sake of our children, it is important to do
the right thing at the right time for the right reasons - not an
easy task. Preferably we need to prevent problems and act pro-actively
(in advance), but uncertainty may make us do the wrong things, a kind of
dilemma (choice between two hells). Scientists who are at the source of
society's understanding and knowledge, need to warn us for impending danger,
but they must also refrain from scare scenarios, or at least be honest
about what knowledge is missing, and of doubts. It is equally important
for them to say 'we were wrong' and retract
previous false statements. In this respect there is much to be desired,
also because fear opens the taps for scientific funding.

The ocean acidification
scare is a classical example where scientists have exaggerated the danger,
while being dishonest about how much is not known, while also not considering
all angles. Read it to make up your own mind. It is interesting to note
that scientists are so obsessed with consensus, that a link to this chapter
is consistently removed from the Wikipedia page for "ocean
acidification". How then is the world to know of the scientific
swindles committed in this subject, and the massive doubt and ignorance?
Scientific
terrorism?
In the meantime our extensive chapter about global
climate makes you understand how it all works, and why global warming
is a scam.

How to helpSince Seafriends has not yet been able to obtain public funds, it is
still very much under-resourced. Your independent help is not just convenient
but essential. Tell others about us and help us increase our business.
Donations
are also essential and so are sponsorships and legacies. Study our activities
to find out how you can help us further our aims. Your financial support
makes a difference to the future of our children. Read the how
to help page.

Do you have interesting books about the sea gathering dust? Donate them
to the Seafriends library.

You may have expertise in the subjects treated here on this web site.
Please give us your feed-back to make it
better. You may not understand parts of this web site. Please tell us so
that we can improve it.